The present invention relates to a wire stitching or stapling machine of the type which severs and forms staples from a continuous wire and drives the staples into an associated workpiece. Such machines are typically useful in the stapling or stitching together of the cover flaps of cartons, fiberboard boxes or the like, as well as other types of heavy-duty stapling.
Such stitching machines have previously been available, typical prior art machines being illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,194,225 issued to R. G. Hoffert on Mar. 19, 1940 and 2,960,695 issued to W. E. Hausknecht on Nov. 22, 1960. But these prior art machines have utilized a complicated drive assembly entailing separate drive means for the staple former and the staple driver, and still another drive means for the wire feed rolls, which construction entailed considerable manufacturing and assembly expense.
Also, there prior art stitching machines utilize a forming anvil and a separate supporting shoe for cooperation with a reciprocating staple former, the anvil and shoe being separately movable out of the path of the staple driver in opposite directions. This arrangement necessitates that the staple former have apertures cut in both the front and back thereof to accommodate the movement of the anvil and shoe, thereby requiring additional space to accommodate the anvil and shoe and weakening the reciprocating staple former.
These prior art stitching machines also utilize wire feed rolls which, in addition to being separately driven, are rotatable for simultaneously withdrawing the wire from the supply roll and feeding it to the staple forming and driving means.
In addition, the prior art wire stitching machines have a relatively complicated clutch mechanism for coupling the drive shaft to a motor-driven drive wheel. Furthermore, while prior machines have provided guards to prevent accidental injury to a user's hand during operation of the stitching head in driving a staple into an associated workpiece, these guards limit the space available for maneuvering the workpiece.